Meyer got the perfect example of a communication gap from
consultant Elizabeth Shen, who interviewed foreign managers
working in China. One person she talked to was Pablo Díaz, a
Mexican executive who worked in China for a Chinese textile
company for 15 years.

"In China, the
message up front is not necessarily the real message," Díaz said.
"My Chinese colleagues would drop hints, and I wouldn’t pick them
up. Later, when thinking it over, I would realize I had missed
something important."

Case in point,
this conversation:

Mr. Díaz: It
looks like some of us are going to have to be here on Sunday to
host the client visit.

Mr. Chen: I
see.

Mr. Díaz: Can
you join us on Sunday?

Mr. Chen: Yes,
I think so.

Mr. Díaz:
That would be a great help.

Mr. Chen: Yes,
Sunday is an important day.

Mr. Díaz: In
what way?

Mr. Chen: It’s
my daughter’s birthday.

Mr. Díaz: How
nice. I hope you all enjoy it.

Mr. Chen:
Thank you. I appreciate your understanding.

“I was quite
certain he had said he was coming,” Díaz said. “And Mr. Chen was
quite certain he had communicated that he absolutely could not
come because he was going to be celebrating his daughter’s
birthday with his family.”

Díaz learned
from this experience that it's his responsibility to ask multiple
times for clarification to understand what his workers really
mean.